Mayo Intercultural Action (MIA ) has announced that it has merged with South West Mayo Development Company (SWMDC ) from the start of October. This voluntary transfer was initiated by the MIA board of directors and advisory committee and facilitated by the SWMDC board and management.
Speaking about the transfer, Natalya Pestova, MIA coordinator, stated: “Mayo Intercultural Action welcomes this new arrangement which will focus the MIA’s resources and energy on delivering integration projects, providing individual supports and influencing policy. We are pleased to be integrated into SWMDC, an organisation we have worked closely with over the past decade."
Gerry O’Neill, SWMDC CEO, said SWMDC was “delighted to be able to accommodate MIA under our corporate structure. MIA’s mission is complementary to that of SWMDC and our work in community development. It is important that MIA’s expertise and skills in working with migrants is retained in an autonomous project within SWMDC and to this end, MIA will retain its own name and logo and will have a migrant-led steering committee.”
Both agreed that SWMDC and MIA wish to ensure that MIA remains true to its strategic mission and continues to provide quality representation, recognition, respect, solidarity and equality for migrants including asylum seekers and refugees in Mayo.
